Beginning Psychotherapy

what to expect when seeing a psychotherapist

Booking a session

You do not need to be referred by a GP to to make an appointment If you feel that you could benefit from the opportunity to talk frankly about your current situation call me to set up a meeting. In this one-off appointment you’ll be able to explore how counselling could help you before deciding to go further.

Your first session

You can be as prepared or unprepared as you’d like for your first session. You may to do the talking and get a lot off your chest, or you may want me to help you work out what’s going on in your head.

Give yourself plenty of time to arrive. There are coffee shops and a lovely churchyard near my office where you can wait for your appointment. Ring the buzzer downstairs at the time of your appointment.

How it works

In therapy the client and psychotherapist sit together in a quiet, confidential room. The client is given the space to talk about whatever feels most important or troubling – this may be the events of the week, a difficult relationship, troubling thoughts, or dreams. Listening carefully to what the client says the therapist works to help the client bring their true feelings to the surface, so that they can experience them and understand them.

This is a process that leads to a deeper understanding of yourself, and more assured, authentic relationships with others. It is not an instant fix (a year or longer) but it can result in profound change.

Regular Sessions

At the end of the first session I will invite you to attend a second session the following week. At the end of the second session I’ll ask you whether you’d like to continue in therapy. If you decide to continue we will then agree a suitable day and time to schedule a regular session.

A session is a weekly 50 minute appointment between client and therapist at the same time on the same day. The regularity and weekly frequency of sessions is essential to the work, so deciding to go into therapy is a commitment. It is my professional duty to be available for your session every week, apart from my holidays (announced with two months notice).

If you are unable to attend your regular session because of work, illness or holiday, you will still be charged for the session. In some circumstances we could agree to reschedule the missed session to another day.

Fees

The fee per session is £75.

Students and people who are on lower incomes and who can also attend during the day (before 5pm) can be seen for £45 per session.

Confidentiality

All information revealed by you during our work together will be kept totally confidential. In this I am bound by the ethics of the AJA, UKCP, BACP and the BPC.

Psychotherapy feels selfish

It’s more selfish to allow yourself and those around you to suffer through your poor mental health, when you could get help. Psychotherapy is the opposite of self-indulgent. It can be painful to become aware of sides of ourselves that are wounded or even nasty. Going on to change those things requires a great deal of strength and courage. Therapy ultimately leads people to be less trapped inside their heads and more engaged with the world.